Vote Explanation
Floor Speech
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Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, on August 2, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 280, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea.
Millions of American veterans whose time in the military spanned from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan came home injured from toxic exposure to Agent Orange, burn pits, and more while serving our Nation with honor. They deserve not only our utmost respect for their sacrifice, but also the ability to access their earned benefits without bureaucratic obstacles. For too long, these veterans were met with skepticism and denial about the consequences of toxic exposure, despite mounting evidence of the serious health consequences that can stem from this exposure. No more.
These generations of men and women stood up for us, now it is our duty to stand up for them. Ensuring that those exposed to these harmful and deadly toxins can get the care they need is the least that we can do for such heroes.
Mr. President, on August 3, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 282, Treaty Doc. 117-3, Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea.
For over seven decades, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-- NATO--has been the bedrock of security in Europe and helped preserve world order. Today, in the face of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the importance of transatlantic strength and unity cannot be overstated.
It is more important than ever that, as we remain committed to the pursuit of peace and prosperity in Europe, we work with our NATO allies to stand up to Vladimir Putin's aggression and send a clear message to any who attempt to follow his path that the free world will not stand idly by while its values and its sovereignty are attacked.
The addition of these two Nordic countries and European Union members, Finland and Sweden, who have long acted in partnership with this alliance, will serve to not only send that critical message, but will make NATO a stronger force for peace in the world.
This is a historic day. And I gladly support and welcome the addition of these two important allies whose military and diplomatic capabilities will help NATO better address urgent and emerging threats to European and global security.
Mr. President, on August 4, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 283, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted no because this resolution would undermine core provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act--NEPA--that are critical for protecting our environment, our water and air, endangered species and their habitats, and the well-being of the American people.
The purpose of NEPA is to ensure that the Federal Government fully thinks through and considers all of the impacts of infrastructure projects, both the direct and indirect cumulative impact of a projects. In the fight against climate chaos, NEPA is a critical tool for ensuring that our government considers all of the ways that a project might add to or mitigate the climate crisis, and then empower agencies to analyze reasonable alternatives that are less harmful to our natural environment.
As part of its relentless campaign to undermine the fight against climate chaos, the last administration went to great lengths to weaken NEPA's ability to protect our environment and severely limited the ability of agencies to seek out less harmful alternatives. The previous administration also directed that the indirect and cumulative impacts of Federal projects no longer needed to be considered. As stated in a letter sent to the Senate by a group of 200 organizations representing millions of members and supporters, these changes were a blatant effort ``to entrench federal climate denial, hastily permit dangerous or polluting projects, and systematically disenfranchise low-income, rural, and minority communities from government decision-making.''
Since coming into office, President Biden has worked to restore NEPA's core provisions, reduce litigation risk, and help deliver more sustainable and equitable projects. The ``Phase 1'' rulemaking that this CRA attacks, is essential to addressing the climate crisis and ensuring environmental justice for communities that disproportionately bear its brunt. If this joint resolution were to pass, it would not only undermine our agencies' ability to mitigate climate change or make decisions that ensure a project is more resilient to the foreseeable effects of a changing climate, it would also potentially stop any future administration from using NEPA to address the climate impacts of Federal decisions. That would be disastrous for our environment, for our country, and for the American people.
Therefore, as previously stated, for the well-being of our planet and of future generations, had I been present, I would have strongly opposed this effort to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act and voted no on this joint resolution.
Mr. President, on August 4, 2022, I missed rollcall vote No. 284, confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 1100, Roopali H. Desai, of Arizona, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. Had I been in attendance, I would have voted yea.
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